McDonald's and Comedy Central campaigns take Grand Prix for Outdoor

McDonald's minimalistic "Follow the Arches" campaign with Canadian agency Cossette and Comedy Central's Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library snagged Grand Prix awards for outdoor at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which continued presenting its awards on Tuesday.

They were hard-fought wins: Jury president Chris Garbutt, Global Chief Creative Officer at TBWA, said the jury deliberated until 1:30 a.m. He said much of the submitted work was "facing something head-on," citing efforts like Burger King's trolling of McDonald's (done with Grabarz & Partner). He called McDonald's work with Canadian agency Cossette out of Toronto "pure and iconic."

The outdoor category is one in which jurors can pick two Grand Prix winners, under the logic that it is tough to compare something like a poster with a more complex outdoor installation.

The "Follow the Arches" billboard campaign is based on the restaurant chain's logo, directing drivers to follow the curves of the "M" in the arches in whichever direction they need to go (with messages like "Next Exit," "Just Missed Us," or "On Your Left.")

"I think the best outdoor [work] stops you in your tracks and it telegraphically pulls you in … and transcends language, in a way," Garbutt said.

The other winner was a little less traditional, Garbutt said. The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library was a satirical museum experience showcasing Trump's relationship with Twitter. The free pop-up, created via Pop2Life and situated around the corner from Trump Tower, offered interactive installations and decor inspired by Trump's taste.

Garbutt said that some American jury members worried it was too New York-centric or too regional. But he said voices from other markets found it inspiring to use satire to work through tension.

Radio and Audio

"Soccer Song for Change" — by AB-InBev Africa and Ogilvy Cape Town — took the Grand Prix for radio and audio. The campaign for Carling Black Label beer changed the words of a popular song sung at soccer matches in South Africa, substituting lyrics telling the story of a woman who is beaten by her husband after he comes home intoxicated and angry after his team lost a match.

Jury president Jo McCrostie, who is creative director at Global, talked about the category and how much it has changed, widening far beyond just radio. She said "Soccer Song" stood out as "something that was really going to make an impact on the world."

Print and Publishing

AB InBev's Budweiser and Brazilian agency Africa brought home the Grand Prix for Print and Publishing for "Tagwords," a campaign that encourages people to Google different images of the brand's place in musical history throughout the years.

Tagwords leverage the ubiquity of Google search by replacing a billboard image with a search phrase. Viewers who followed the instructions found historical images of musicians enjoying (or wasting) Budweiser -- images that it would have been expensive or impossible to get permission to use for the out-of-home campaign.

Kate Stanners, chairwoman and global chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi and jury president, said that "when you look at it, it's beautiful, it's simple, but then it takes you somewhere else."

Mobile

Grey Brazil, Sao Paolo won for "Corruption Detector" — an app created for client Reclame Aqui that leverages facial recognition to show users the history of Brazilian politicians' corruption.

Jury president Jay Morgan, innovations director at The Monkeys, said the detector "put the power in the hands of the people."

Design

LADbible and Plastic Oceans worked with AMV BBDO in London to create "Trash Isles," which took the Grand Prix for Design. The campaign was meant to encourage young people to lobby the United Nations to acknowledge the plastic in oceans as its own country to force a conversation around the issue.

Jury president Johnny Tan, executive creative director for Asia Pacific at 72andSunny, said the work prevailed because it was "extremely brave" and "extremely challenging," and had a huge cultural impact.

Megan Graham is an agency reporter at Ad Age. Prior to joining Ad Age in 2017, she covered technology and startups for the Chicago Tribune's Blue Sky Innovation section. Earlier in her career, she covered business and breaking news at the Chicago Sun-Times. Originally from Chicago, she earned her B.A. in news-editorial journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.